Monday, July 25, 2011

About 25% of the University of Hartford students own and use an eReader and most would use theirs in the classroom, if feasible. In order to investigate the use of eReaders as a novel technology for education in Engineering courses, Professor Ladimer Nagurney of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering recently received an Educational Technology Grant from the Office of the Provost at the University The goal of Professor Nagurney's research project is to integrate the eReader technologyfor not only the course text, but also to include the course handouts and lecture slides on the device.

During the Fall 2011 semester, Professor Nagurney will loan Kindles to several students in three of the classes that he will be instructing: BE 401 - Biomedical Instrumentation, ECE 440 - Digital Signal Processing, and ECE 423 - Communication Engineering, for part of the semester. He will be putting lecture slides, handouts, and assignments into formats that can be displayed on the eReader, in addition to placing them on Blackboard for all students.

As part of the project, he will be asking students for feedback on accessibility, convenience, readability, and legibility, and overall ease of use. From a faculty member's perspective, he will be investigating the ease of preparing materials for the eReader and how it compares with the effort required for preparation for posting on Blackboard.

In addition to the support from the Provost's office, Professor Nagurney has received complementary eReader copies of one of the textbooks for the Fall semester.

Since use of eReaders is expected to increase in the future, this project will provide new insights into developing Engineering and Science Course materials for use on eReaders and keep the University of Hartford students at the leading edge of this new technology.

Tom Filburn spent a 10 week Fellowship sponsored by the Office of Naval Research at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Florida.This internship worked on Navy Diver life support systems. Dr. Filburn is pictured with his Navy Sponsor, Dr. John Camperman in front of a Navy Seal Delivery Vehicle at the Panama City base.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

In support of the Annie Fischer School, Mary Arico, Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Assistant Director of CT Space Grant, attended the historic Atlantis Launch on July 8th at KARS Park in Florida. On board the shuttle was a science experiment design by students in grades K-5 at the Annie Fischer STEM Magnet School. The students design their experiment “Microgravity’s Effect on Tomato Growth” with the guidance of a team from Hamilton Sundstrand. The Connecticut Space Grant Consortium worked with Hamilton Sundstrand to support the project, which was chosen from entries across the country to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP).

The foreshadowing of New York Dozen, by Michael J. Crosbie, AIA, Ph.D., began 40 years ago in another groundbreaking book, Five Architects. Focused on the New York Five (Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, FAIA, Charles Gwathmey, John Heiduk, and Richard Meier, FAIA, FRIBA), the book marked a lot of firsts; perhaps most importantly it provided a more expansive public platform for architectural discourse. Not long after the book’s publication, in an issue of Architectural Forum, architects Romaldo Giurgola, FAIA, Allan Greenberg, Charles Moore, Jaquelin T. Robertson, FAIA, and Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, wrote “Five on Five,” essays that pointedly indicted the pure Modernist aesthetic, resulting in unworkable buildings that were indifferent to site, indifferent to users, and divorced from daily life.
Crosbie’s introduction is not a history lesson. It is a beautifully crafted conversation about how our profession is best served when architects see themselves not just as designers but as artists, thinkers, and agents of change. Part of the gusto and soul of this architect’s journey, as Crosbie unfolds throughout this book, is that it does not end with a generation that has reached a level of prominence that others then try to emulate. Rather, ideas are passed on and with the creative mind can evolve into something that was unimaginable in previous decades. This book in the hands of a less scholarly, creative, and insightful editor, would have probably ended up being a marketing piece for a dozen up-and-coming firms. New York Dozen is a prism that looks carefully into an uncertain future through the lens of another time in our history that, while unpredictable, yielded surprisingly radical and transformative results.
In the energetic foreword to New York Dozen, Kristen Richards, Hon. AIA, Hon. ASLA, writes a balanced refection on the past that moves insightfully toward a future filled with some unprecedented challenges/opportunities facing Gen X. “The city is in a very particular place and time. Government agencies, developers, and the citizenry have never been more actively involved (most times collaboratively) in city building that is economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. I believe 9/11, and the growing awareness of what climate change could do to our streets and shorelines have had much to do with it.” The architecture of the New York Dozen — Andre Kikoski Architect, Architecture in Formation, Arts Corporation, Christoff/Finio Architecture, Della Valle Bernheimer, Leroy Street Studio, Levenbetts, MOS, nARCHITECTS, Studio Sumo, Work Architecture Company (WORKac), and WXY Architecture — is very diverse. Each practice is unique in their vision and in execution. Threads of commonality are found philosophically in a “we” not the “me” style of collaboration. Five Architects sparked controversial debates. It is my hope that New York Dozen will inspire and provoke a level of discourse about architecture, inspiration, individuation, and collaboration in era of globalization that is truly unprecedented.Maxinne Rhea Leighton, Assoc. AIA, is a member of the AIANY Oculus Committee. At Parsons Brinckerhoff she is in charge of managing the Northeast Region Business Development and Marketing. Maxinne is also working with the New York Transit Museum on a new book on Grand Central Terminal for the centennial in February 2013.Note about Oculus Book Talks: Each month, the AIANY Oculus Committee hosts a Book Talk at the Center for Architecture. Each talk highlights a recent publication on architecture, design, or the built environment — presented by the author. The Book Talks are a forum for dialogue and discussion, and copies of the publications are available for purchase and signing. The next talk will take place on 07.11.11, featuring The Vertical Farm, by Dickson Despommier. Click here to RSVP.

The OpEd is based upon a scholarly paper he co-authored, entitled, "Medical Nuclear Supply Chain Design: A Tractable Network Model and Computational Approach."

The paper develops a tractable network model and computational approach for the design and redesign of medical nuclear supply chains. Its is on the supply chain of the most commonly used radioisotope for medical imaging utilized in cardiac and cancer diagnostics. This topic is of special relevance to healthcare given the medical nuclear product’s widespread use as well as the aging of the nuclear reactors where it is produced. The framework developed in the article provides the foundation for further empirical research and the basis for the modeling and analysis of supply chain networks for other very time-sensitive medical products.

The research will also be presented at the Seventh Conference on Integrated Risk Management (INTRIM) in Operations and Global Supply Chains at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada on July 30th and August 1st; http://intrimatmcgill.wordpress.com/

At the University of Hartford, Professor Nagurney instructs BE 401, Biomedical Instrumentation, that includes topics on the design of Nuclear Medical Imaging instrumentation for clinical use.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Adam Clark will be attending the 41st International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES) in Portland Oregon on July 18, 2011.Adam will be presenting the results of a NASA sponsored investigation into Lunar Habitats.His presentation will be attended by aerospace industry and NASA engineering personnel. His paper "An Investigation into Life Support Systems for a Lunar Habitat"

is co-authored by Tom Filburn (Assoc Prof Mech Eng.).Adam will be presenting the results of a 6 month study on potential life support systems useful for a future lunar habitat.In addition, Adam was the recipient of a CT Space Grant travel grant which subsidized the bulk of his travel to Portland.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Women’s Education and Leadership Fund (WELFund) would like to publicly announce and recognize the grantees selected for funding in 2011-12. The nine projects were chosen out of a highly competitive pool of applicants. Collectively, the proposals advance the potential of women in every school or college of the University of Hartford, and will have an impact on the surrounding communities as well.

WELFund grants range in amount from $2,000 to $10,000. All students, staff, and faculty are eligible to apply in the once-a-year grant review process. Information about program priorities and leadership development initiatives offered by WELFund is available on the program’s webpage: www.hartford.edu/welfund.

Please join the board, staff, and donors of WELFund in congratulating the following grantees:

David Goldenberg and Linda Moran, Hillyer College
“Bridge to the Future Leadership Project” Twenty of the University’s newest women students will participate in the only University-wide SummerBridge program, focusing on leadership and psychology.

Bhin Zhu and Betsy Kadapuram, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S)
“Study of Environmental Estrogens in North Branch of Park River” This student-professor research team will examine water quality in different streams of the North Branch Park River watershed for the presence of environmental estrogens that can cause breast cancer and early onset of puberty for girls.

Ivana Milanovic, College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA)
“NASA Coherent Structures Development Research” Four students from various engineering majors will form a research team, to be mentored by CETA’s Ivana Milanovic. Together, the team will engage in research through NASA’s Exploration Development Theme.

Mary Arico, CETA, and Ingrid Russell, A&S
“Summer STEM Immersion” Faculty collaborators from Computer Science, A&S, and CETA will create an intensive, engaging Summer Place experience for middle school girls from the communities surrounding the University. Grant funds will support program development and provide scholarships for interested participants not otherwise able to attend.

Paige Bray, College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP)
“Veteran Teachers of Color Stories” Bray and her team of women student researchers will compile the stories of local veteran teachers of color, building on Bray’s research of the life of Dr. Nettie Webb, who served for over 30 years in a New York area school district integrated before the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Jenni Freidman, Hartford Art School
“Women in Contemporary Printmaking” Two women students in the Hartford Art School’s printmaking program will join Freidman in attending the Southern Graphics Council National Conference. The students will attend “open portfolio” sessions, sharing their work and receiving critique on a national scale. These students will then share their experiences in an on-campus forum for other members of the University community.

T. Stores, A&S
“First Time in Every Time” Students in Stores's first-year seminar will compile oral histories of residents of the Duncaster retirement living facility, creating connections between populations that are both in a state of transition. A team of senior women students will serve as editors of a final compilation of the residents’ stories.

Karen Tejada, Hillyer College
“Las Mujeres Pueden Tambien” Tejada and a woman student researcher will interview and compile qualitative data on the political practices of Salvadoran women residing in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Expanding on earlier research completed by Tejada, this study will seek enhanced understanding of the women’s unique change and mobilization strategies.

Susan Coleman, Barney School of Business
“Financial Strategies for Women-Owned Firms” Coleman and a co-author from the Kauffman Foundation will complete final research and writing for A Rising Tide: Financing Strategies for Women-Owned Firms. This book on women entrepreneurs and their quest for funding will be the first of its kind, and a first for Coleman as well.

Over the past five years, WELFund has delivered on its mission of advancing each woman’s potential in the HCW tradition by awarding over 70 grants to faculty, students and staff, as well as through scholarships, leadership development programs and inspiring conversations. Keep up to date on all WELFund events and news; sign up to receive our e-news by contacting Donna Haghighat at haghighat@hartford.edu.

Tom Eppes, associate professor of electrical engineering, and Ivana Milanovic, associate professor of mechanical engineering, both in CETA, and H. Frederick Sweitzer, assistant provost and dean of faculty development, gave a paper, "Outcome Assessment of Liberal Education Skills," at the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2011. The ASEE Annual Conference is the only conference dedicated to all disciplines of engineering education, and it is committed to fostering the exchange of ideas and enhancing teaching methods and curriculum.
In response to mandates from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), our new academic mission, and a desire to integrate liberal arts and professional education, a University project was undertaken to identify core undergraduate learning outcomes, to be addressed and assessed within general education and each major. The authors describe the planning and actions undertaken thus far at both the University- and engineering-program levels to meet this new requirement.
Outcome assessment has been expanded to include five "intellectual and practical skills"; specifically, critical thinking, creative thinking, inquiry/analysis, problem solving, and information literacy. The authors presented a framework showing the best opportunities to measure student achievement levels within core courses. A recent pilot, employing the VALUE rubrics and targeting three of the five skills, was successful in identifying a method to observe and measure achievement.